“Kenny asked me at one point in time, ‘What kind of guy is this guy?’ I went into full recruiting mode,” said a smiling Peavy, who clearly is as honest as he is talented. “I said, ‘Listen, if you put this guy in the mix on this team, a left-handed bat in the middle of the lineup, a guy that could spell Paulie [Konerko] at first and is a Gold Glover …

“There’s not much bad about the guy. I said, ‘Kenny, absolutely. You put this guy on your club, and he’s a great person as well.'”

Don’t even think trading Beckham, Kenny:

Any trade involving a player who has at least 30 home runs and 99 RBIs in each of his last three seasons probably will require a fairly significant haul of young talent in return. The Sportsline article quoted a White Sox source in stating that Williams would give anything to get Gonzalez, “maybe even Gordon Beckham.”

That move seems highly unlikely, especially if Gonzalez was nothing more than a one- or two-year presence in Chicago. Beckham’s ultimate upside has been projected along the lines of Texas’ Michael Young, and five years of 200 hits, 40 doubles, 90-100 RBIs and an average near or over .300 would be about equal to Gonzalez’s contributions.